Fire-escape



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

0. P. WILLSON.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 319,370. Patented June 2, 1885.

INVENTORZ WITNESSES a u C210. @44

By 04% Aida/W Attorney.

N. PETERS, Pholo-Lithngnghzr. Walhingion. D. C.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

G. P. WILLSON.

(No Model.)

- FIRE ESCAPE.

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Attorney.

as a friction-clutch.

NITED STATES 'PATnNr FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,370, dated June 2,1885.

Application filed March 25, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. WILLsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Summit Point, in the county of Jefferson and State of WestVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved fire-escape for buildings, designedto enable persons imprisoned in a burning building to escape withsafety.

The drawings herewith illustrate the invention.

Figure l is a front view of the carriage and suspended block. Fig. 2 isa transverse sectional view of carriage. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views ofthe grip-handle. Fig. 6 is a view of a protecting-cage containing thecarriage. Fig. 7 is a top view of the same. Fig. 8 is a view of theescape attached to a building. Fig. 9 is an end view of the traveler onthe rail.

A carriage is provided for lowering the person. This carriage consistsof two upright bars, A, and a bottom, A, attached thereto. Each end b ofthe bottom projects si-dewise beyond one of the uprights, and saidprojected ends serve as a rest for the feet of a person. The uprightsare connected by rungs b, thus forming'a ladder. To lower this carriagea suitable rope, wire cable, or chain, c, is employed. When the carriageis not in use, the said rope is wound-on a small reel, B, mounted inbearings at the foot of the uprights. Two grooved clutch-rollers, d e,are mounted at the foot of the uprights, and the rope 0 passes from thereel B to these rollers, which serve The lower roller, d, has twogrooves and the upper one three. Before the rope passes to thisfriction-clutch it passes through an opening in a cross-bar, f, near thetop of the ladder, thence over aroller, f, and then down to and throughan opening in a crossbar, f, immediately .over the friction-clutch.

the third groove of the upper roller, and from thence through an openingin the lower crossbar, f an opening in the upper cross-bar, f,

and through the top plate, f From the top plate the rope passes to asuspended block, 0.

which is provided with a friction-clutch, d e, of the same constructionas that on the carriage.

From the suspended block the rope designated by'c passes down andthrough the top plate of the carriage, through the upper cross-bar,

f, and through the bottom A. Its lower end is provided with a ring, 0The special friction-clutches on the carriage and on the suspended blockare to compensate in part for the weight of an average sized personoccupying the carriage. Without them the weight of a person on thecarriage would cause it to descend with a speed that would be unsafe.The effect is to nearly offset the weight of a person, or to so restrainthe descending movement of the car when a person is on it as to insureits descent at a moderate speed. The rope is provided on that portionwhich passes from the reel to the opening in the upper cross-bar, f,with a friction griphandle, D, which is in the form of a tube made intwo parts or split longitudinally. Each of the two parts of thegrip-handle is lined with leather or rawhide, g, and then the two partsare placed together, with the rope between,

as in Fig. 4., and secured by screws h. The screws will regulate thefriction or grip of the two parts of the handle D on the rope, andshould be so adjusted that the handle will not slip on the rope untilapull has been made thereon of predetermined power-say equal to ten ortwenty pounds. Normally the handle D has position just below and incontact with the upper cross-bar, f, and this amount of friction or gripof the handle on the rope is suflicient to prevent the rope from beingpaid out from the reel, and therefore the carriage will not descend, butwill hang suspended. To cause the carriage to descend, the person on itmust grasp the grip-handle D when at its position below the uppercross-bar, f, and draw down on it with sufficient force to slip it onthe rope, say, for a space of a foot or eighteen inches, then as therope pays out allow it to go up to the cross-bar, and then again drawdown on it. By continuing this operation of slipping the grip-handle thecarriage will be lowered. When the carriage has reached the ground, andthe person has alighted, it may be hoisted again forthe rescue ofanother person by grasping the ring 0 at the end of the rope and pullingthereon. When a person gets on for the second descent of the carriage,the latter is controlled in its downward movement by a person on theground paying out the rope or allowing it to slip through. his hands.The suspended block 0 is hung from a chain, z, which has a hook, vi,attached. This hook may be attached to any convenient place offastening-such as to a window-sill or an article of furniture like abedstead in the upper room of a buildingand' thereby the block may hangsuspended on the outer wall of the building. The hook 2', however, maybe attached to a traveler or movable eye, F, on a horizontal rail, G,fixed to the front wall or cornice of a building. By this arrangementthe suspended block 0 and escape-carriage may have their positionshifted from one point in front of the building to another to meet theexigencies of the case in time of fire. The rail G- may be fixed orsupported by brackets is in any suitable manner, and the eye F isattached to a block, I, provided with grooved rollers m, which rest onthe rail. It will thus be seen that the block and eye may travel alongthe rail from one end to the other.

The carriage heretofore described may be inclosed'in and attached to acage, H, of sheet metal, or canvas coated with fire-proof paint. Theobject of the cage is to protect a person while descending from flamesthat may be issuing from the windows of the building. The carriage A isattached to one side of the cage, and the walls of the cage may beconstructed of sheet metal, or canvas made noncombustible. At one sidethe cage has a door, 01., and a rope, p, is attached at one side andnear the top of the cage, and hangs down and serves for a person on theground to draw the cage away from the building, in orderthat, as thecage is being lowered, it may clear or avoid obstructions on the frontof the building. In the present instance the rope p is attached to achain, p, having each end made fast to an opposite side of the cage.Where the cage is used the rope c from the carriage passes through aleveling-hanger, I, whose function is to maintain the cage in a verticalposition when it is drawn away from the building by the rope p. Theleveling-hanger consists of a block, I, provided with three sheaves orrollers, q. This block has a flexible-connection with the cage. A chain,r, connects one end .of this block to a stud, s, projecting up above thetop of the cage, and at one side of the cage, and two chains, 1",connect the other end of the block to the opposite side of end of thatpart of the rope c which comes from the suspended block is passedthrough an opening, 25, at the top rim of the cage, on the side oppositethat where the carriage is attached.

Having described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United Statesa 1. A fire-escape having in combination asuspended block, 0, a carriage having two grooved clutch-rollers, d e,and a loweringrope,c, passed over and around the said rollers, thence tothe suspended block, thence back to the carriage, and provided on thatportion which leads to the clutch-rollers with a fric tion grip-handle,D, asset forth.

2. A fire-escape having 'in combination a horizontal rail, G, fixed. tothe front of a building, a traveler-block having grooved rollers to reston the rail, and an eye, F, a block, 0,

suspended from the said eye, a carriage having grooved clutch-rollers, alowering-rope passed first over the said rollers, thence to thesuspended block, and thence back to the carriage, and a frictiongrip-handle, D, on the rope, as set forth.

3. A fire'eseape having in combination a suspended block, 0, a'cage'carriage to protect an escaping person from the flames, aleveling-hanger, I, provided with sheaves and attached above thecage-top by a flexible connection, and a lowering-rope passed from oneside of the cage-carriage between the sheaves of the leveling-hanger tothe suspended block, thence back between said sheavesto thecagecarriage, and through an opening on the opposite side, as set forth.

4. In a fire-escape, a cagecarriage having above it a sheave-blockattached to opposite sides of the cage-top by a flexible connection, incombination with a lowering-rope leading from the cage-carriage andpassed through the sheave-block, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES P. VVILLSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN E. Mourns, CHAS. B. MANN.

IIO

IIS

